


Larger than Life

by treya_barton



Series: Tainted Love [6]
Category: Persona 4
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, M/M, Vampire Hunters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:28:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26984410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/treya_barton/pseuds/treya_barton
Summary: Teddie struggles to figure out what he wants to do after college and goes to his cousin and his cousin's boyfriend for help.
Relationships: Hanamura Yosuke/Narukami Yu, Hanamura Yosuke/Persona 4 Protagonist, Hanamura Yosuke/Seta Souji
Series: Tainted Love [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1895857
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	Larger than Life

Teddie quietly entered the apartment he shared with his cousin and slipped into his room to drop off his bag before returning to the living room to throw himself onto their old, but comfortable couch. His eyes drifted across the apartment, which consisted of a mismatch of bargain furniture Yosuke had collected over the years. His cousin had somehow managed to find pieces that worked relatively well together, although it was obvious nothing was quite the same style since the pieces ranged from Ikea pieces from his time in college to older, more sturdy pieces he had picked up from the thrift store or had been donated by his parents. There were a few from Junes mixed in here and there as well, and honestly the overall schematic could probably be labeled as chaotic, although it somehow matched his cousin’s personality and seemed to work for him.

Teddie preferred the style of Yu’s more modern apartment, with its tasteful pieces collected over the years and lack of clutter, although he had to admit Yosuke’s apartment felt more comfortable and like home. Besides, if he were to choose how to decorate it, he would want statement pieces and more color than Yu’s more neutral palette. He blew his bangs out of his face before rolling over onto his back and resting his head on one of the mismatched throw pillows. That was beside the point anyway. Really, all Teddie was doing was distracting himself from the actual problem he had been facing his whole junior year of college. The problem of what he actually wanted to do with his life.

Teddie had chosen a business track at college, deciding the degree was useful and versatile. He enjoyed most of his classes except the ones centered around economics and accounting; they were honestly the ones he went to Yu about the most since he tended to struggle with them. The problem was, he wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted to do with his degree or what really interested him. Unlike Yosuke who had worked in high school and college prior to entering the academy, Teddie had never had to work due to his parents insisting he focus on his studies. His whole life he had only one task – get good grades so he could get into a good college. His parent’s expectations for him didn’t seem to exist beyond seeing him get a normal office job once he graduated. They provided Yosuke some money toward allowing him to stay with him, but Teddie knew he cost his cousin more than he let on, which often left him feeling guilty. Yosuke always told him not to worry about it and to focus on school, insisting Teddie didn’t need to work and pointing out how difficult it had been on him growing up, so Teddie instead worked on chores around the house to make up for it, figuring supporting his cousin there was useful since Yosuke worked long hours as a detective.

Teddie bit his lip, thinking about the many conversations he had with Yosuke over his dilemma. His cousin always would ask Teddie what he was interested in, but unlike Yosuke who had an interest in criminal justice all the way back in high school, there wasn’t anything that Teddie could think of. He was just your ordinary college kid who enjoyed wearing flashy clothes and hanging out with his friends; the only “hobby” he could think of was his recent efforts to match up his cousin with their downstairs neighbor once he had caught on the other man’s interest. It had almost backfired when Yu had disappeared after Yosuke had yet again returned home injured, and Teddie was still holding a slight grudge over it, although Yu had been steadily winning over his trust yet again. Yosuke had of course trusted him immediately, and Teddie let out an annoyed huff. Most people didn’t realize it, but his cousin was too nice for his own good.

Teddie pulled out his phone and scrolled through his Tumblr feed for a bit. He tried not to make too much noise until Yosuke woke up, so he tended to do homework or check his social media while the other man still slumbered, leaving louder activities like watching his dramas or playing online video games with his friends for when Yosuke was at work. After several minutes of listlessly scrolling and realizing he wasn’t seeing anything interesting, he headed back to his room to dig through his backpack in order to see what he needed to work on for school. He had a paper and a project he had been pushing off, but there was still a little time to procrastinate on them, and a test coming up in economics. Teddie pursed his lips, realizing that he should probably get a head start on studying for that. He hadn’t done too well on his last test – he had still been miffed at Yu and hadn’t gone to him for tutoring for a few weeks and it had come through on his test score. He would definitely need to do better this time around.

Teddie grabbed his textbook and his binder that he used for class before sending Yu a text, asking if he was available for tutoring. It tinged his pride a little to have to ask when he was still trying to prove to Yu that he needed to make sure he earned the right to date his cousin, but if he was honest with himself Yu tended to prove that every day. It was obvious he was head over heels for his cousin and respected him which made it a lot easier on Teddie to ask. Yu replied right away, stating he wasn’t busy and that he would gladly help Teddie out. He let him know the door was unlocked and he would be able to let himself it. It was daytime, so it made sense that Yu wouldn’t leave his apartment.

While Teddie had learned over the years about the more hidden aspects of Yosuke’s job, his cousin hadn’t talked to him much about it until the Adachi attack. Teddie had finally convinced him to talk, so upset was he by his cousin’s injuries and the knowledge that Yu was one of the vampires that Yosuke hunted on a nightly basis. Yosuke explained everything to him, including the fact that not all vampires were bad, and the dangers he had faced on the job. Teddie was happy to finally have his cousin trust him enough to be honest about his job, and to stop trying to protect him from it. It helped him feel a little more grown up and he was happy to know exactly what his cousin faced on the job so he could better support him.

Knowing about Yu’s true background allowed things about him to make sense, especially his overwhelming charisma. Teddie wasn’t going to lie – he had a bit of a crush on his sensei at first, but that had quickly changed once he realized their neighbor’s attraction to his cousin. It had been so long since his cousin had been in a relationship that Teddie’s feelings had quickly cooled while being replaced with the goal of allowing his cousin to finally be happy with someone. Thankfully, his efforts had not gone to waste in the end or worse, backfired as he had feared.

Teddie reached Yu’s door and knocked lightly to let him know he would be opening it. He was aware that Yu probably already knew he was there, for the vampire had enhanced senses including hearing and smell, but he still felt like it was the polite thing to do. He then stepped inside and quickly closed the door behind him. Yu was sitting in his living room with a lamp providing lighting for them, and he slid the book he was reading closed. Although it had been awhile since Teddie had reached out for help, he didn’t mention it and merely asked if he was hungry or wanted anything to drink.

“I’m good for now,” Teddie said, before heading over to the couch and sitting down. He opened up his textbook to the necessary page before flipping through his notes to the sections he would need for the test. He was hoping Yu could provide more clarification on the subject – he had a knack for making it more understandable. While he loved Yu’s cooking, he still wanted to maintain a bit of distance for now.

Yu respected the distance and waited patiently for Teddie to get himself ready. Then, he quickly skimmed over the section Teddie needed help with, before patiently reviewing the material with him and providing an explanation that made it much easier to understand. Teddie jotted down notes and adjusted the ones he already had with clarifications by Yu, and he tried his best to remain focused on the task at hand and to not allow his mind to drift back to his current dilemma. After about half an hour of studying, Yu suddenly interrupted him by pointing it out.

“Something on your mind?” he asked, causing Teddie to blink before looking up at him in surprise.

“What do you mean, sensei?” he asked, slipping back into his old nickname for Yu by mistake. He had refrained from using it after Yu had run off, switching back to the more formal Narukami-san. Yu didn’t comment on it, and instead maintained focus on the young man.

“You seem distracted by something. You usually have more focus during our study sessions – that is as long as Yosuke isn’t around.” His cousin had an annoying habit of trying to capture Yu’s attention when he was around, which wasn’t very conducive to Teddie studying. He had learned it was best to do it while his cousin wasn’t around.

“I’ve just been thinking about something,” Teddie confessed. He suddenly wondered if he should open up to Yu. The other man had lived much longer than his appearance suggested and may be able to give him some advice. Yu waited for him to continue and Teddie closed his textbook with a sigh. “I’m in my junior year of college,” he confessed, “and I don’t know what I want to do with my life. Yosuke keeps telling me to do whatever I’m interested in, but not everyone discovers what they want to do in high school like he did.” Teddie let out an annoyed huff, and Yu carefully held back a smile. Teddie noticed, however, and felt more annoyed. Maybe talking to Yu was a bad idea.

“When I was your age,” Yu suddenly began, capturing Teddie’s attention. He found himself suddenly interested in hearing a little bit about Yu’s past – not even Yosuke seemed to know much. “I wanted to be a chef. I went to culinary school and was working part time at a fine dining restaurant to hone my craft. Then, one day…my life was taken from me.” He paused, his eyes suddenly becoming distant for a moment. “I could no longer taste and knew that path would no longer be available for me.”

“But you’re a magnificent chef!” Teddie interjected, and Yu smiled.

“My sense of smell helps out a lot in the kitchen, but I no longer had the want to cook for strangers as I had before,” he explained. “I could no longer taste test new dishes of my own design and come up with anything new. I have learned to love cooking again for those I care about – to see them enjoy my dishes – but it wasn’t the same as my dream to be a chef.”

“So, what did you do?” Teddie asked.

“Well, each time I have started a new life under a new identity, I decide what interests me most at the time and work to get a job in that field. I have been a doctor, a lawyer, a teacher, and am currently a museum curator because I want to study history and use my experience to contribute to the understanding of it,” Yu explained.

Teddie nibbled his lip. “That sounds like what Yosuke was saying,” he said with a sigh. “What if you don’t have anything you’re interested in?”

“I think you would be surprised if you really allowed yourself to think about it,” Yu replied. “Why not make a list of everything that interests you – any of your hobbies, any topics that you follow – and see where that leads you.”

Teddie looked away, eyes thoughtful as he pondered the other man’s words. “Maaaaybe I can try that,” he finally said after a few minutes.

Yu grinned at him before his eyes looked up. “I believe your cousin is awake,” he said. After a few minutes, Teddie began to hear the sound of water running as Yosuke got up to take a shower. “Did you want to study longer?” Yu asked.

Teddie shook his head. “I think I’m going to do what you said – see if I can’t make a list,” he replied. Yu smiled at him.

“If you’d like, I can come up to make dinner,” he said. Teddie’s eyes widened with delight at the idea. “Just don’t tell Yosuke – let it be a surprise.” Teddie nodded eagerly before heading upstairs. It was Yosuke’s night off from work, so it wasn’t uncommon for Yu to cook them dinner. However, every time it happened, Yosuke still managed to be surprised by it, as if he didn’t expect Yu to take every opportunity to spoil him. Teddie rolled his eyes. Yosuke really was hopeless when it came to himself.

Once he reached the apartment, he set down his study materials and pulled out his phone in order to try to make a list. He began by jotting down a few of his hobbies – if you could call them that – like gaming and watching dramas. He then thought through and wrote down a few of the classes he found more interesting before letting out a sigh and plopping down on the couch. It wasn’t like he had the ability to do anything with videogames, and while he had been in drama in high school it had never been anything more than a passing interest of his. Teddie began to scroll through his Instagram, idly liking some influencer and fashion posts before switching to Tumblr. Someone had posted some pieces from a runway show, and Teddie smiled when he saw Ai’s most recent collection included. He went to go reblog the post with a comment when it finally hit him. Teddie sat up in surprise, just as Yosuke stepped out from the bathroom. He was dressed in sweats and a tank top and he was currently in the process of towel drying his hair.

“Oh, you’re home,” he said. “I thought maybe you had gone out somewhere when I didn’t see you earlier.”

“I was studying with sensei,” Teddie explained.

“Oh, so he’s sensei again, huh?” Yosuke teased, causing Teddie to flush before throwing his pillow at him. Yosuke caught it before letting out a small laugh. “I’m just happy to see you getting along with him again,” he said, a fond smile on his face.

Teddie let out a huff. “I was only doing it for your sake, you know,” he grumbled, and Yosuke sat down next to him before playfully ruffling his hair. Teddie grit his teeth in annoyance before going to fix it again, but couldn’t help but glance over at his cousin in the process. Yosuke was pondering over his words.

“I know you were Ted. Thank you – for always looking out for my best interests.” He flashed Teddie a smile, and the younger cousin couldn’t help but melt a little at the praise.

“I’m only giving him another chance because I think he does too,” Teddie admitted quietly.

“Yeah, I think you’re right,” Yosuke agreed. “So, how did studying go?”

“More importantly than that,” Teddie said, suddenly looking excited at finally finding out what he wanted to do. “Sensei helped me figure out what career I want to do.”

Yosuke blinked at him. “He did?” he asked, and Teddie nodded.

“Sensei told me to figure out what I’m interested in…”

“You mean the thing I’ve been telling you this whole time,” Yosuke deadpanned, while Teddie stuck his tongue out at him.

“He told me to write down all of my interests,” he retorted. “And told me some juicy secrets about his past.” He waggled his eyebrows at him while Yosuke looked a bit annoyed at that bit of news.

“What kind of secrets?” he blurted, while Teddie grinned mysteriously.

“That’s not the important part,” he waved. “What’s important is I know what I want to do!”

“Yeah? And?” Yosuke asked, waiting impatiently.

“I want to be a stylist,” Teddie said. “I realized that what I was most interested in is fashion and design – it’s what I look at in my free time and what I’m constantly thinking about.”

He looked at Yosuke in anticipation, wondering what his cousin would say. He knew his parents would be horrified at the idea, but Yosuke had always been supportive of him. Yosuke grinned at him, and Teddie felt his heart soar. “I think that’s perfect, Ted,” he said. “I think you should stick with the business track at school though – it could help you start up a business related to fashion or your own boutique.”

“You really think so?” Teddie asked hopefully, and Yosuke nodded.

“You always wear such trendy clothes. It’s a little flashy for my taste, but it looks great on you. You really have an eye for it,” he said.

“You used to wear clothes that were flashy,” Teddie replied. “You just became boring as an adult.”

“Never quite to the level that you do,” Yosuke pointed out. He set his towel around his shoulders. “We should probably get dinner to celebrate though. Anything you’re in the mood for? I can order takeout.”

“Hmmmm…maybe we should wait,” Teddie said.

“On what? I’m feeling kind of hungry.”

“What if sensei’s decided to cook for us tonight?” Teddie countered.

Yosuke flushed. “Listen, Ted, it’s not like Yu can cook for us _every_ night,” he started to lecture him, until he was interrupted by a knock at the door.

They both turned to look at it, and Teddie watched the look of resignation cross his cousin’s face. He felt smug as Yosuke got up and walked to the door, opening it to reveal Yu who was standing there carrying groceries.

“You were saying?” Teddie said in a sing-song voice.

“Do you not want me to cook for you every night?” Yu asked, tilting his head and pretending to look hurt while Yosuke grumbled under his breath.

“It’s not that, I just don’t want you to feel obligated…” he started to protest as Yu swept past him and headed to the kitchen. Yosuke followed him like a lost puppy while Teddie enjoyed the show from the living room.

“I thought you knew by now that I enjoy seeing you eat what I cook,” Yu replied, smiling softly when Yosuke wrapped his arms around his waist and rested his head on his shoulder as he usually did when Yu was in the kitchen. It always amazed Teddie how the other man could still cook so efficiently with his cousin hanging all over him.

“And I love eating your food,” Yosuke replied, causing Yu to smile at him. “Teddie has something he wants to tell you.”

Yu looked over at him as he began to pull out the groceries. “Is this based on our earlier conversation?” he asked.

“Yeah, I made a list like you said and realized that I want to be a stylist,” Teddie replied. He suddenly felt shy and wondered what Yu would say. It was one thing for his cousin to be supportive – he always was – but he wasn’t sure how Yu would react.

Yu hummed as he began to pull out the cookware he would need. He had helped Yosuke better stock his kitchen since he was coming over all the time now. “Maybe I could put in a good word with Ai and see if over the summer you could do an internship with her. She needs stylists for her events and it would be good experience for you.”

Teddie gasped. “Really?” he asked, his eyes sparkling at the idea. Ai was one of his favorite designers – he had been incredibly jealous when he had seen her logo on Yosuke’s repaired leather jacket. “Would you really do that for me?”

Yu turned to look at him. “Of course. I think you have a talent for it and she could help hone your skills,” he replied. Yosuke was smiling warmly at him, and leaned forward to press a kiss along his jaw. It was obvious he was touched by Yu’s support for his cousin.

That sparked an idea in Teddie, especially based on their prior conversation. “I think the first thing I’ll do is change Yosuke’s wardrobe,” he said, giving Yosuke a wide grin as the brunet pulled away from Yu to glare at him.

“Excuse me?” he asked.

“Don’t you want to look hot for sensei?” Teddie countered, causing Yosuke to sputter in embarrassment. Behind him, Yu looked amused by their banter, although he continued to focus on preparing dinner. He ended up preparing ginger pork and some side dishes, and the cousins happily chowed down on their delicious home cooked meal while Yu watched them, happy to see them enjoy his food. As Teddie watched them interact, he thought about all the ways Yosuke had helped him over the years, and decided he really would pick out a few outfits for his cousin once he had some money in order to thank him. He also realized that it may soon be time for him to finally move to his own place, both to gain some independence and to allow his cousin the opportunity to spend more time with Yu. Teddie’s face beamed at the idea, and once he was finished eating he quietly rinsed out his dishes and slipped away, recognizing the fact that Yu and Yosuke were making eyes at each other and would probably appreciate some time alone together. 

Teddie flopped on his bed and let out an appreciative sigh, both at the delicious meal his cousin’s boyfriend had prepared for him, and over relief that he finally had an idea of what he wanted to do. He pumped his fist in victory before pulling out his phone and beginning to message some of his friends to tell them the good news. He hoped that he really would have the opportunity to intern as a stylist for Ai and felt his heart beat in anticipation at the idea. “You got this,” he whispered to himself, before pulling out his earbuds and pulling up a drama to watch before bed, in order to give Yu and Yosuke some added privacy.


End file.
